


The Gift

by FlightlessAngelWings



Series: Equal Partners [2]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, The Mandalorian (TV)
Genre: Action, F/M, Fluff, Mando is a badass, Mando is a softie, Mutual Pining, reader is a badass
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-07
Updated: 2020-07-07
Packaged: 2021-03-04 19:48:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,042
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25131916
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FlightlessAngelWings/pseuds/FlightlessAngelWings
Summary: It had been six months since the Mandalorian came into your life and offered you a place on his ship, and it was the best six months of your life. Before him, the only thing you had known was a slave life on a distant outer rim planet until you burned off your mark and lived in the slums. A bounty hunter’s life was nowhere easy, but it was worlds better than the one you left behind, and you had no regrets whatsoever.Plus, it made it easier how well you and Mando got along. Neither of you could explain it, but when you went with him it was as if you two had known each other for years. Even the time spent in silence felt comfortable. The trust was almost instant, which was rare for both you and Mando, but it was a welcome surprise.
Relationships: The Mandalorian (The Mandalorian TV)/Reader
Series: Equal Partners [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1820476
Comments: 1
Kudos: 66





	The Gift

It had been six months since the Mandalorian came into your life and offered you a place on his ship, and it was the best six months of your life. Before him, the only thing you had known was a slave life on a distant outer rim planet until you burned off your mark and lived in the slums. A bounty hunter’s life was nowhere easy, but it was worlds better than the one you left behind, and you had no regrets whatsoever.

Plus, it made it easier how well you and Mando got along. Neither of you could explain it, but when you went with him it was as if you two had known each other for years. Even the time spent in silence felt comfortable. The trust was almost instant, which was rare for both you and Mando, but it was a welcome surprise. 

You already had fighting skills, but Mando helped you to perfect those skills. Whenever he wasn’t out on a bounty hunt, he spent his time training you. At first, you would quickly find yourself knocked flat on your back, but as you trained and practiced more, you were soon almost equal in your fighting skills. Mando was definitely proud of your quick progress. 

After six months of practice, the Mandalorian decided to let you come along for your first bounty hunt with him. Because you picked up skills so fast, he could have taken you sooner, but for reasons Mando couldn’t explain, he held off as long as he could. He knew how dangerous the job was, and he was determined to keep you safe on the ship for as long as possible, even though you were more than capable of holding your own. 

But he knew that wouldn’t last forever, and you were getting more and more anxious to join him on a hunt. 

That was how the pair of you ended up crouched down at the top of a hill that overlooked a small compound. Mando had met with the client earlier, and the bounty owed him an obscene amount of money and had evaded all other bounty hunters ain’t after him. The client gave instructions to bring the bounty alive for a bigger pay, but would accept him dead as well.

“Take a look,” Mando handed you the scanner after he already looked over the area. The compound wasn’t big, just three small buildings, and it was in the middle of nowhere. He counted only about 6 guards throughout the entire place. And since it was so remote, there was a low chance of them getting backup in time.

“Doesn’t look like too many, we can take em,” you said with confidence once you finished your scan.

“Keep your guard up,” Mando reminded you, “And get your blaster ready,” he added as he pulled his own weapon out. 

You obeyed without a word and you stayed behind him as he swiftly moved closer to the compound. Mando worked fast and before you even registered his movements, he already shot down two guards. You had seen him fight before, of course, but to see him in bounty hunter mode was something else, and you hoped that you could do well enough to impress him.

Your chance soon came as another guard rushed up towards you, and you aimed and fired right at him. The blast hit him right in his head, which killed him instantly.

“Nice shot,” you heard Mando say and you couldn’t help but smile, “Let’s keep going,” he said as he led you further into the small complex.

The last three guards rushed out at you and the Mandalorian and you both pulled out your vibroblades and fought them off. You weren’t sure if it was because the guards were lousy or if your skills improved that much from your training, but it was almost too easy for you to take out those guards.

Once all the threats were taken out, Mando scanned the area again to find where the bounty was hiding, “There,” he pointed to a locked doorway. You gave him a nod and stayed behind him as he strode over and kicked the door down.

The bounty was ready, and immediately jumped on the Mandalorian. They fought each other off for a short time until he was able to knock Mando off balance before he turned his attention to you. You were ready, though, and you had your vibroblade raised and ready for his strike. He was a much tougher opponent than his guards, and it was harder for you to overpower him. Meanwhile Mando had gotten himself up and was ready to jump in wherever you needed him.

At one point, the bounty was able to get the upper hand on you and he slashed right at your arm. You yelped in pain as the blade cut through the fabric of your sleeve and down to your arm. He pushed you back while you were caught off guard, but you raised your arms to hold him off. And that was when he saw the large scar on your arm.

“Ohhh,” he snarled with a wicked smile, “I’ve seen scars like that before. Wouldn’t your bounty be higher than mine?”

Anger completely took you over and you became reckless with your movements. The bounty was able to get the upper hand and used a hidden knife to slash at your side and kick you back. You fell back and hit the floor hard, which knocked your breath completely out of you.

Mando immediately reacted, his own rage also boiled over. He lashed out at the bounty without mercy and in no time had him on the floor, completely beaten to a pulp. As the Mandalorian stood over the half conscious bounty, he used his blaster to snack him across his face to completely knock him out. He was so close to killing him, higher payout be damned, but your voice stopped him.

“Mando,” you whispered.

He rushed over to you and inspected the slash on your side, “You ok?”

“Fine,” you grunted as you tried to sit up, “Just a scratch,” you tried to sound reassuring, but he could tell there was something on your mind.

Mando said your name to call your attention, and he waited for you to meet his visor before he continued, “You don’t have to worry,” he started in a soft voice, “I’m not going to turn you in, even if you get a bounty.”

You smiled for a second but your expression quickly shifted into a scowl, “Because you feel like you owe me, right? Because I saved your life back when you met me?”

He stayed steady, “No.”

Your eyes opened wide in surprise, you hadn’t expected that. 

“I decided to let you travel with me before you saved my life,” he said plainly but compassionately.

You exhaled sharply, “Oh…” you didn’t know how to respond to that, and you took a few moments to let his statement sit in your head before you gave him a bright smile.

“Now, let's get you patched up,” he said before he helped you to your feet. 

You accepted his hand and let him pull you up. Mando didn’t pull away right away, and he held onto you until he was sure that you were steady on your legs. Even though you couldn’t see his face, you could feel his gaze on you as he waited for your nod to let him know you were ok to stand on your own. When you did give him a nod and he finally broke away, you immediately found that you missed his touch. You found yourself wondering how someone so ruthless in a fight could also be so soft and tender.

It was a quiet walk back to the ship. Mando carried the unconscious bounty as you walked behind him. So many words were on the tip of your tongue, but none of them made it out. As you studied the bounty’s beaten face, you realized that Mando definitely went overboard when he attacked him. Was that because of what he said to you? You tried to keep yourself level, since you didn’t want your racing heart to push more blood out of your wound than you already had lost.

Once you reached the Razer Crest, you immediately went into the main chamber to get to work to fix your injury while the Mandalorian stayed down in the hull and threw the bounty into carbonite. As soon as the hiss of the freeze dissipated, Mando finally let himself relax. He didn’t even realize how much tension he held in his body until he finally let his breath go. He had never gotten that angry over someone’s words before, and they weren’t even directed at him.

Mando had been pushing his feelings down, but he had to admit to himself that something had awoken within him when he first met you. The way you risked everything to help him when he was a complete stranger really spoke to him, and the more time he spent with you, the more fond of you he grew. 

He let out a heavy sigh as he buried his feelings again. Mando turned to make his way into the room where you sat, ready to help you. But, you were already finished with healing yourself, and you were just setting the bacta patch on your side when he walked in.

“I could have helped you with that,” Mando said as he tried to ignore his rise in heart rate at the sight of you with your shirt lifted up.

“I got it,” you replied softly, “Thanks though.”

Mando nodded in response and took a step towards the cockpit before he paused for a moment. You watched him with a confused look as you wondered what went through his mind. You didn’t have to wonder long, however, and he moved back towards you and pulled something out from his pocket.

“Here,” he handed you two large silver arm braces, “This is for you.”

You stared at the braces for a moment before your face slowly lit up. Not only were they beautiful, but they looked like armored arm bands so they also provided some extra protection. 

“Thank you,” you breathed out before you took them from him and wasted no time in putting them on your forearms. They covered most of your lower arms, and they hid your large scar completely. 

Mando felt his heart skip a beat when you gave him a bigger smile than you ever had before. He didn’t even know his heart could do that, and he was extra grateful that his face was covered or else he would have completely given himself away.

“They’re beautiful,” your voice broke him out of his thoughts. A tear formed in your eye as your emotions bubbled over.

Before his brain caught up to his body, Mando stepped closer to you and wiped away the single tear that fell down your cheek. Your breath hitched on your throat as you stared up into his visor as your heart pounded in your chest.

“Sorry,” Mando mumbled as he shuffled back to give you some space.

“No,” you replied immediately, “It’s not you. It’s just I never had someone give me a gift this thoughtful before,” you explained as your expression softened. You reached out for his hand and gave it a single squeeze before you let go. As much as you wanted to, you knew that if you held on any longer, you knew your feelings would resurface. And for now, you decided to keep them to yourself.

He let out a shaky breath, “Let’s get this asshole to the client so we can get paid,” Mando said, not knowing how to respond to you. After you gave him a soft smile and a single nod, he turned towards the cockpit and started up the engines. Once he was seated, he stared at his hand and felt such longing for yours again. But, he shook himself out of those thoughts and refocused himself towards his job. If only he knew that you were down in the cargo area doing the exact same thing.


End file.
